The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recommending that animal owners take several precautions to protect their animals from West Nile virus.
“Given that mosquitoes were associated with the 1999 outbreak, the key to preventing or controlling future outbreaks of West Nile virus among horses, livestock, or poultry is to prevent animals from being exposed to mosquitoes,” said Michael V. Dunn, under secretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs.
West Nile is a vector-borne virus causing encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. It was first recognized in the Western Hemisphere in 1999.
The following recommendations are based on current knowledge about WNV and the 1999 U.S. outbreak.
Reduce Mosquito Breeding Sites
The most important step any property owner can take to control mosquito populations is to remove all potential sources of stagnant water where mosquitoes might breed. Precautionary steps include:
Insect Repellents
Use of insect repellents may be of some value in decreasing exposure of horses to adult mosquitoes; however, repellents alone should not be relied upon to prevent mosquito exposure.
Screened Housing
Housing animals in structures with well-maintained insect screening can reduce exposure to adult mosquitoes. Be sure to eliminate mosquitoes from inside the structure first through the use of mosquito adulticides and fans.
Outdoor Exposure
The mosquitoes responsible for the transmission of WNV to horses and other mammalian species generally feed at dawn, dusk, and during the night. USDA recommends caution when exposing animals to areas inhabited by mosquitoes during these times.
USDA’s Actions To Protect Agriculture
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s veterinary services program has developed a diagnostic test for West Nile virus and is on the lookout for virus activity along the Atlantic seaboard. The program investigates any horses showing clinical signs of encephalitis, in which other common causes such as rabies can be ruled out. APHIS’ Wildlife Services program carries out wild bird specimen collection, initially focusing on East Coast States from Connecticut to Florida, for West Nile virus testing.
USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and National Veterinary Services Laboratories have conducted inoculation studies with turkeys, chickens and horses.
For more information on West Nile virus, visit the APHIS’ website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov and click on the “West Nile Virus” link in the hot issues section.
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The Animal Welfare Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
Phone: (301) 504-6212
FAX: (301) 504-7125
E-mail: awic@nal.usda.gov
